Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

The Formless Ravager of the Earth 

Ravager of the Earth 

Omega Slime, Lv 440 

Vitality: 13,360,000 

Strength: 8,760,000 

Magic: 11,983,000 

Spirit: 11,248,000 

Agility: 5,347,000 

Skills: Corrosion (Spell), Vitality Boost (High) 

Well, I could now say for sure that when slimes got this big, they stopped being remotely adorable. 

Because slimes were essentially formless, they could shapeshift at will. When this monster swam through the earth, it had taken a cetacean shape for ease of movement. 

The omega slime’s level was exceptionally high, and on top of that, some of its stats surpassed ten million. Even a holy knight would be forced to play defense against a monster like this. The crowned beast loomed above me, emanating doom. 

The omega slime abruptly became aware of me, and its body expanded in the air. 

“The shield, Fate!” Greed roared. “Use it! Use it now! ” 

I transformed the bow into the black shield just as the omega slime loosed a flood of sludgy liquid, which cascaded over the shield to the ground. I’d managed to use the shield as an umbrella, but everywhere that rain fell, the earth disintegrated. 

“Whoa, whoa! What the hell?!” 

Greed had saved my life. Even if my stats were higher than the omega slime’s, I would have had no way to escape a direct hit like that. The rain melted through the ground, dissolving whatever it touched into steaming, hissing goop. 

“It’s a strong acid,” said Greed, “and it took me by surprise. I didn’t think the omega slime would belch that crap out as its very first attack.” 

“You’re supposed to tell me about this stuff before the fighting starts.” 

“Aren’t you supposed to already know that a slime’s body is comprised entirely of acid?” 

“Yeah, but who would have guessed it’d just vomit its guts up on me like that? Ugh, what’s that smell?” 

The air around me filled with the stench of waste, like something rotting. I had to hold back the urge to vomit. 

I wonder if this… I peeked out from behind the shield and used Identify on the omega slime’s Corrosion spell. 

Corrosion (Spell): Adds a corrosive effect to all physical attacks. Anything touched by the spell decays. 

The skill was brutal. When the omega slime had belched up its acid, it had been enhanced by the Corrosion spell. Hence the earth melting into deep pits all around me. That better explained how the slime could “swim” through the ground as well. It used its acid to corrode the earth and rocks in its way. 

A battle at close quarters would be impossible. If I cut the omega slime with the black sword or scythe, any resultant spray of acid could melt right through my bones. 

“What an annoying monster,” I said. 

“Some monsters can’t be beat by sheer stat differential. This is probably a good lesson for you.” 

“You condescending scrap of steel…” I muttered. 

I transformed the black shield back to the black bow and aimed at the falling omega slime. I had to take care of this thing quick. 

“Take ten percent of my stats,” I told Greed. “Let’s end this.” 

“Huh? Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to rely on my secret techniques?” 

I could hear the smile in Greed’s voice. It was very, very annoying. “Just shut up and do it!” 

“All right, all right, you’re in a hurry. I get it. Hold tight while I help myself to those stats…” 

The omega slime rolled in the sky, moving directly above me. Its gigantic form was going to crush me. Acid leaked from it. So, yeah. I was in a hurry. 

Greed sapped the stats from my body. It was a feeling I’d experienced over and over, but I could never get used to it. Power was squeezed out from within me. Greed didn’t care. 

He transformed explosively in my hand. The lithe form of the bow grew ominously larger, spikier. Apocalyptic. This, I had grown used to—Greed’s First Level secret technique. I also knew how powerful the recoil could be. I had to stay focused. 

I shoved the heels of my boots hard into the ground, readying myself, and took aim at the writhing blanket of the omega slime falling above me. As I loaded a black arrow on the powered-up bow, I imbued it with the Fireball spell to ensure that it burned even the last splashes of acid into embers and ash. 

In my half-starved state, I could see the flow of magic within the omega slime’s body. I followed that flow to the center of the monster. All the way to its weak point. I adjusted my aim, and I fired. 

The crimson arrow leapt from my bow with a roar like thunder. It left a trail of embers as it transformed into lightning and passed through the omega slime. The area around me erupted into flame and steam from the evaporating monster. I felt the impact, and yet… 

“Did you get it?” Greed prodded. 

“Quit acting like you don’t know. You’ll feel it as soon as I do.” 

Greed laughed. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to say it!” 

If I’d defeated the omega slime, that monotonous metallic voice would have told me my stat increase and new skills. However, it remained silent. 

The omega slime was still alive. 

I had to move. I kicked off the ground hard, leaping backward. As I did, a giant ball of translucent blue crashed to the earth where I’d just stood. The land under the slime melted instantaneously into a gaping hole. In the next instant, a blast of melted earth fired out around the monster. 

“Is that even allowed?!” I spat through gritted teeth. 

“Ah, I see. It defended against my secret technique by splitting in two and using half of itself as a shield. Pretty clever for a slime.” 

“And now it’s tunneled into the ground again?” 

“Eh, yeah, but the omega slime only has a single core. Just aim for that, and don’t get fooled when it splits again.” 

“You make it sound so easy…” 

To kill this thing, I either had to get closer when I attacked, or I needed the kind of firepower that would burn through core and clone alike. 

“If I’d known about this beforehand, I would have given you twenty percent of my stats.” 

“Well, that’s what you get for being a cheapskate. You get gun-shy at the strangest times.” 

“Oh, shut up.” Now wasn’t the time for arguing. Where did the omega slime go? 

I traced its magical energy to its location. “I don’t know why, but the slime’s ignoring us,” I told Greed. “It’s moving west.” 

“Hm, that means it’s still headed for the army.” 

I nodded. The slime wasn’t running from me. It chased some other goal. Crowned beasts were more intelligent than most monsters, sure, but…to this extent? It was ignoring the threat that just cut it in half and would now hunt it down? That bothered me. It didn’t feel like the slime was fighting on instinct. 

I sensed something calculating in its actions. Something…human. 

I transformed Greed back into the black sword and sheathed him. Then I leapt into the sky and charged the holy sword tech-art Grand Cross, which I aimed directly at the earth below. Three deadly blue bubbles—clones of the omega slime—popped up from the ground. They dissolved in the holy light of the tech-art. 

“A surprise attack, huh?” Greed said thoughtfully. 

“Yeah. It tried to look like it wasn’t interested, but it had a trap waiting for me. Something about this slime’s cunning doesn’t feel right.” 

“Don’t forget what Eris said. Don’t let your guard down.” 

Greed was right, but I had to hurry. I couldn’t let the omega slime get underneath the kingdom’s army. I headed west, incinerating every remaining blob of slime that tried to block my way with the searing holy light of my Grand Cross.